Old Scars and Fresh Wounds
by imagica8
Summary: Eight years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy suddenly shows up one day at Neville and Luna's house. What can he want?
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, so please review! Involves most of the characters from the books, with some new ones added.**_

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Luna Longbottom opened the door to reveal, of all people, Draco Malfoy looking back at her.

"Oh, it's you," she said, with a tone of mild surprise. A momentary awkwardness followed, and in that moment both were sizing each other up. Malfoy looked even paler than she remembered, his white blond hair thinner and limp-looking. He was worryingly skinny, dressed in dark robes which did nothing to mask his thinness. His expression revealed nothing as to what his purpose might be in turning up at Neville and Luna's house. It had been 8 years since the Battle of Hogwarts, and 8 years since they'd seen Draco.

Luna, on the other hand, looked much the same, except for a slightly fuller look that comes after childbirth. She'd given birth to their son, John, 6 months ago. There was some stress mixed in her usual lost appearance.

"Um, I suppose you'd better come in," Luna said finally, both out of curiosity and feeling that the thin man might blow away if left out for too long.

"Thank you." Draco entered their house and looked around. He'd always thought Luna was off her rocker, but then he'd never really known her. The living room, however, showed decoration that very obviously reflected her personality.

Neville came into the room at that moment, and his jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, almost rudely.

"I heard about your son," he began, "from Hannah," he added, seeing Neville's questioning look.

"I have no idea who Hannah is." Neville replied coolly. "If you're here to congratulate us, thank you very much. If you're here to show sympathy and understanding as to Johnny's condition, which I seriously doubt, thanks but no thanks. I think you'd better go, Malfoy."

Neville sighed, tired and bored. John had Wizard Epilepsy. Incurable.

"Wait, it's neither...I..." For the life of him, Draco couldn't imagine why he felt nervous, like he didn't belong in that house. He felt like something dirty, something that people throw out of their houses. _No_, he reminded himself. _I mustn't go thinking like that again_.

He took a deep breath.

"Hannah Maitland is a Healer at St. Mungo's. She's also my girlfriend, and she's friends with Fleur. Fleur told her about your son. And she told me."

"Ok...so?"

"So, maybe it can be cured- I've been working on a potion-"

"Malfoy, it's incurable," Neville interrupted. "I don't know what this Hannah person has been telling you, but we've taken multiple opinions. And this ridiculous story about finding cures for notoriously incurable diseases is not going to get you in our good books. Seven years of being a pain in the ass cannot be undone in a hurry, you know."

There was silence. Malfoy looked from one to the other. He was beginning to feel worthless again.

Neville frowned and stared at him. He was expecting an outburst, but none came. He had never seen Malfoy this fidgety. He remembered him as an extremely-sure-of-himself, diabolical and arrogant prat who'd made life hell for him. This Malfoy was different- nervous, ill-looking and- sad.

"He didn't give Harry away," said Luna quietly, speaking for the first time.

"Oh, come on, Lune, he was just being a coward," replied Neville, without a care in the world that he was discussing Malfoy in front of Malfoy. "He knew that if he identified wrongly, Voldemort would obliterate him."

"There was no question of that," continued Luna serenely. "He knew Harry instantly. A person knows his friends very well, and also his enemies. Oh, he recognized Harry immediately, didn't you, Draco?"

Slowly, Draco nodded. Luna went on, "And he hated Harry, I don't deny that. He wished Harry dead? Very possibly. At the hands of Voldemort? I don't think he cared about that. But he had realized that Voldemort had to be destroyed, and that Harry was the one person who could be capable of that."

She looked over at Draco, who nodded again. "I never wanted Potter dead, either," he added in a small voice.

"So _you_ say," said Neville nastily, determined to hate Malfoy's guts.

"And do not forget for one moment, Neville Longbottom," added Luna in a louder voice, "that had Draco not delayed the summoning of Voldemort, your wife would probably not have been here. So I think it's only fair that we at least listen to what he has to say."

That shut Neville up. "Fine," he muttered.

"Sit down," Luna directed Malfoy onto a couch, and summoned tea and biscuits from the kitchen. Malfoy wanted to bolt, but he sat down. He wanted to say what he wanted to say.

"About a month ago, Hannah told me all about John's epilepsy…"

"What type of Healer is Hannah, anyway?" Neville asked.

"Psychology."

Neville snorted. "Here we go. What can a psych healer know about epilepsy? Fleur is the correct Healer for him. She knows his case, and we're managing the seizures."

"Let him speak, Nev, and it's rude to interrupt, which is all you've been doing. All Draco wants to do right now is flee from here, but he's trying hard to tell us something. You should let him," said Luna brightly.

"Well, er," said Draco, realizing suddenly that Luna was exactly as she was described, "Hannah was merely repeating what Fleur had told her. Look, I work at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley- you know- I make potions. I've been working on medicinal potions for a while now, and after hearing about your son, I started trying to figure something out for the condition."

"Why?" asked Luna.

"Huh?"

"Why would you want to help us?" repeated Luna, with genuine interest. Neville leaned forward.

"Well- I just- figured…"

"Are you trying to be _nice_?" Neville couldn't resist himself. "Got all lonely, _did we_, after the war? With your cronies all dead and your father locked up in Azkaban, which he so deserves, you had no one left to feed your huge ego, did you? Whatever the reason, _Malfoy_, it doesn't suit you _at all_. It's just plain weird."

"Neville!" gasped Luna, shocked. Neville himself could not understand where the anger was coming from. Perhaps it was all the buried hurt from being bullied by the other boy in school, rising to the surface. He ruthlessly went on.

"No, Luna- I'm sorry, but I can't stand the sight of him! I think he's got an ulterior motive for this façade of wanting to _help_ Johnny. 7 years of bullshit from this guy, 8 years of hiding, and now he suddenly appears on our doorstep with a cure for Wizard Epilepsy? And this crackpot story about healer _Hannah_\- his _girlfriend_? Who'd want to be _your_ girlfriend, anyway? Unless she's some sick and twisted person as well...Look, Malfoy, we do not need your help. Is that clear? For all I know you might just poison our kid with this supposed cure. He is suffering enough, as it is. You tormented me enough at Hogwarts; I will not let you within 50 feet of my son, my wife, or my house. So now you're within that 50 feet, get out."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Neville's words kept thundering on repeat in Malfoy's head. He ought to feel angry, or insulted, shouldn't he? But he didn't. _I should defend Hannah…he insulted her, I should be angry at that_…he kept telling himself, but he didn't feel anything at all.

"_Move it_, Draco Malfoy, or I'll get the Ministry here on you. They'd be very pleased to get you, I suppose. Wonder why they didn't chuck _you _in Azkaban as well. You'd be with your _daddy_," spat Neville.

Malfoy paled even further, if that were possible. Luna was alarmed, looking between him and her husband, wanting to help, but she feared a fight could break out any second- a one sided fight, judging from the state of Malfoy.

He didn't seem able to move, but after a minute Malfoy rose, noiselessly went through the doorway, and disapparated from the gate.

For about five minutes after he left, no one spoke. Then Neville looked at Luna and said in a small voice, "I just don't trust him, Lune."

Luna nodded. She understood Neville's need to apologize; to solidify it in words so that he could excuse his own behavior which was extremely unlike his sweet and humble nature.

"I know," she replied softly, trying to soothe the frustration out of him.

Later, in bed, Luna couldn't resist bringing it up again. "Nev, do you really think all that he said was a lie?"

Neville sighed. "I honestly don't know. But you've got to admit, it's just strange that he should suddenly turn up wanting to help us after 8 years."

"Yes," agreed Luna, sounding thoughtful. "Where- what do you think he's been doing all this time? It can't have been easy for him after the war."

Sleepy now, Neville gave a small shrug. "I suppose..." his voice trailed off. Somewhere buried under all the animosity he felt towards Malfoy, his suspicion at Malfoy's sudden appearance and an uncharacteristic desire to help, Neville found hope- hope that Malfoy was speaking the truth, that he had actually invented something that could improve Johnny's life.

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_**So, what do you think? Do let me know; I'd appreciate it! Next chapter coming soon.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's the next chapter! I have researched epilepsy for a small scene in this chapter, but I'm not a medical professional, so if you see something inconsistent or unlikely or just plain wrong about the medicinal side of things, do let me know, and I'll do my best to fix it. Thanks for reading, and please leave reviews!**_

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The next evening, the Longbottoms opened the door to reveal another unexpected, and unknown, visitor.

A woman stood on the doorstep, quite out of breath. She had an eager face and kind eyes. Her hair were in between blond and brown, cut short, and slightly windswept. Her eyes were a vibrant blue-green, so arresting, in fact, that people often tended to look at her eyes instead of her face when talking to her. She was on the shorter side, and was of a thin build.

"Hello," she panted in a somewhat exaggerated Scottish accent, "are you Neville Longbottom?"

Neville nodded, nonplussed.

"I'm Hannah Maitland."

Neville's eyes widened, and after a moment of hesitation, stepped aside to let her in.

Luna was playing with Johnny and looked up as Hannah entered.

"Are you Malfoy's..." began Luna.

"Girlfriend, yes." Hannah confirmed readily. She took her coat off and settled down on the couch with a sigh.

"It's frightfully cold outside." She regarded the living room quickly and said to Luna, "I like your taste. It's nothing like I've ever seen before."

"Why, thank you. Most of the artifacts belonged to my father."

"And is that little Johnny?" she cooed, walking over to Luna, who handed her the baby. Even 8 month old Johnny became instantly calm at looking into Hannah's startling eyes.

"How often do the seizures occur?"

"There's no pattern, really, but on a good day it's less than 5 times. On a bad day, however, they occur almost every hour," Luna replied wistfully.

"I see, and what's today been like?"

"You can call it a good day."

Hannah smiled, and handed Johnny back to Luna.

Neville stood gaping at the pair of them, chatting like they'd known each other for years. He cleared his throat. "Why are you here?"

"Several reasons. To show that I'm real. To tell you that I really am Draco's girlfriend, and not a lie or a figment of his imagination. That I really am a psych Healer at St. Mungo's. And that whatever he told you when he came over yesterday was not a lie, either."

Neville digested this, "Well, he could've sent you. Prove all of that."

Hannah pulled out an official looking piece of parchment. "That's my Healer's certificate."

Neville perused it carefully with Luna looking from his shoulder. "Looks all right," he admitted grudgingly, and handed it back.

"You can confirm with Fleur as to my employment at St. Mungo's." Neville nodded.

"As to Draco being my boyfriend, I'm afraid you've only got my word for it. Unless, of course, you choose to start interviewing other healers and the Apothecary staff..."

"How did you become Malfoy's girlfriend?" Luna asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Hannah sighed. "It's a long story."

"I'm interested."

"So am I."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Hannah looked at the couple, amused. "Wow, you really want to know, don't you?"

Neville shrugged. "Well, Hannah, it's like this- Malfoy was a huge jerk at Hogwarts, became a death-eater in the 6th year, tried to hurt us several times, and his whole family have been Voldemort supporters. He showed up out of the blue yesterday with an uncharacteristic desire to help our son he'd only just heard about? I mean, he almost _killed_ people in our sixth year. You have to see why _anyone_ would be suspicious. And if there's really any chance that our son can be helped, I'd really prefer to get to know you and how you both got together, otherwise we cannot trust you."

Hannah nodded. "Fair enough."

"I was 2 years senior at Hogwarts to Harry Potter and all of you- I was a Ravenclaw. Soon after graduating, I trained to be a Healer and got a job at St. Mungo's. Just so you know, my entire family has been strongly against the dark side all along. The war was one of the busiest times at the hospital I had ever seen. There were more deaths every day, and injuries so terrible it was scarcely imaginable. In many ways, being a psych healer often meant having to listen to terrible stories of death and destruction. It was- quite horrible."

"After the war, the ministry set up reforms rapidly, including that while surviving death-eaters had the right to be treated for injuries, they were then either to be handed over to the Ministry or heavily guarded at the hospital. Having death eaters in Psych was even more terrible. One of them, Dolohov, had his memory wiped, and even in that state, he once tried to strangle me. I'm pleased to say he's been in Azkaban ever since."

"About three years later, Draco Malfoy admitted himself as a patient at the hospital."

Neville's eyebrows rose. "I don't think he was injured in the war. In fact, Harry saved his sorry ass several times in the Battle of Hogwarts."

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. Hannah, however, looked a little affronted. For the first time since she arrived, she looked uncertain and worried.

"Will you ever be able to forgive him?" she asked softly.

"I can," said Luna. "It's been 8 years. Although I'm unsure whether to believe him, it's really nice of him to want to help us."

"Thank you, Luna." Sudden tears sprang to her eyes, but she managed to blink them away without either of them noticing. "It will mean a lot to Draco."

Neville didn't answer. He had most certainly _not_ forgiven Malfoy, and knew that it was an unlikely prospect. Hannah sensed this, and wisely went on with the story.

"Draco's injuries weren't physical, really...he had to be treated for depression."

The Longbottoms were surprised.

"You see, after his father was thrown in Azkaban, he and his mother went into hiding. Death-eaters were being widely hunted. His mother died within 2 months of the war. He was suddenly alone- unemployed, friendless."

"His father's money and riches, which were gained by nefarious means were seized by the Ministry, so there was not much left for him to live on. Somehow he managed for two years, but then he showed up at St. Mungo's."

"Is that where you fell for him?" Luna asked.

Hannah snorted. "Heavens, no. I _detested_ him."

They were startled by the venom in her voice.

"Why, you want to ask? Same as your reasons. I had nothing against him in particular, but he was a Death Eater, he was responsible for a lot of trouble in your lives, his father was a particular source of grief to my father. My brother was killed by a Death Eater in the war- and I had a very strong hatred for the dark side in general."

Hannah paused for breath. "My mom died when I was little. My father, Francis Maitland-"

Luna started. "Isn't he on the Wizengamot?"

"Was. He was very against the injustice shown to muggle-borns, and he spoke out quite strongly. Oh, he paid for it. He was sacked from his job. He got sick and died soon after. With my brother's death, I have no family left. So death-eaters have been responsible for destroying half my family. And I remembered Draco from school, exactly the sort of self-important bastard that I despise. Of course I hated him."

Neville was open-mouthed by now. "What changed?"

"I was assigned as his Healer! I was furious, I wanted a different patient, anybody but him. But of course I was being prejudiced, and I was under oath to never turn a patient away, regardless of any personal vendetta or otherwise.

"Draco Malfoy was exactly as I had imagined. He was rude, sullen, disrespectful to the staff, called me names, refused to take his medication. His behavior was just illogical and irrational. He admitted himself! It's not like he was forced into St. Mungo's or anything...so I was nearly fed up."

"And then, after several months, I was able to get through to him. He began to talk. Really talk. He gradually stopped being a thorough ass, you know. Became more tolerable."

"So is that why he was depressed? Because he was alone, hated, and well- poor?" asked Neville.

"No. I mean yes, that, too, but...there were other reasons."

"Like what?" piped up Luna.

Hannah looked thoroughly miserable. "Let's just say that he's been through a lot. More than he will ever care to reveal."

Neville badly wanted to dramatically roll his eyes. Malfoy? _Been through a lot_? Did this witch even know what that phrase meant?

"Eventually I was able to shed my prejudice and treat him like any other patient. He started smiling, you know- a real smile, not the cocky ones from school. But in the war times he'd quite forgotten how to smile. I'd never seen him smile like that."

Hannah was smiling herself, lost in a satisfying memory, and a blush had crept to her cheeks. "I can talk a lot on Draco's- what do I say- transformation, you know, but for the purposes of this conversation, I'll summarize."

"After about two years of treatment, Draco was able to get over his depression. And, oh- he wasn't accused of much in the trials since the war, but since he was a Death Eater, he had a tracker on him- you know, a magical binding which alerts the ministry of any misdeed or wrong-doing. When his treatment came to a close, the tracker was removed.

"Draco has a good-natured side to him buried under all his insufferableness...in all these years, it's come to the surface. Trust me on this, he's a good man. Yes, he'll be rude and insulting sometimes, but he won't- he's never really wanted to- hurt anybody."

"Anyway, during his treatment years, I noticed that he had an aptitude for Potion making. After the Ministry let him off the hook, I encouraged him to apply for jobs in that field. It was...difficult. A very trying time. That was about the time we started going out."

"You know- just out of curiosity- I don't mean to sound crass or anything; but what's your blood status?" asked Neville.

Hannah smiled knowingly. "Half blood. My maternal grandmother was a muggle-born."

Both Neville and Luna looked surprised, and did not attempt to hide it.

"Wow," breathed Luna, "the Draco Malfoy we knew at Hogwarts would never even consider a girl who wasn't a pure blood."

Hannah nodded. "Precisely. I tell you, he's better- in many ways."

"So Malfoy got a job at the Apothecary?" prompted Neville.

"Yes. He's worked there ever since, and recently he's been making medicinal potions. Fleur and I have known each other since the time she started working at the hospital. And she discussed John with me, and as Draco must have told you, I discussed the case with him. That's how he knows about your son. He's been working on it since then."

"_Why_, Hannah?"

Hannah sighed and slumped a little. "I knew you'd want to know that. If I were you, I would, too. Problem is, I'm not quite sure how to answer that."

"Why does he want to help? Does he want to win us over or something? Correct his wrongs? Atonement for his sins? What is it?" asked Neville.

Hannah sighed again. "Look, I'll be honest with you. He's not really doing this to help you, and he's not really trying to be nice..."

"I guessed as much, but then, whatever for?"

"I don't know how to explain this...I told you that his depression was treated, right? So it was. But the war...changed him. Sure, he's happier and better-mannered and all that, but…"

"Go on," encouraged Luna.

"But the old Draco Malfoy- the arrogant, narcissistic, mean and cunning person- had _personality_. Those bad qualities defined him in many ways. Now that they no longer exist in him, coupled with his struggles and the resulting depression, he's just...sort of _empty_. Hollow."

"The times when I see him just a little more lively are when we're together. Otherwise he's very- faded into the background, do you see what I mean?"

Luna nodded. "I felt that when he came here. He was curiously absent."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. He immerses himself in his work. The potions he makes there are routine- common products, nothing new or challenging. He's always looking to try something new- he has a lab where he experiments after-hours. He's- he's prone to lapsing into war memories if his mind is unoccupied, and neither of us wants that. So that's the main reason he's taken it upon himself to brew a cure for Wizard Epilepsy. It's a new challenge for him."

Neville ran his fingers through his hair. "Hannah," he began, glancing at Luna, "We believe you. But you're contradicting yourself. You say he's happier now, and then you say he's hollow? How can a person be both? I felt the difference in him as well. What's _really_ the matter with him?"

"I told you he's had a tough time in the war; he gets panic attacks. If he slips away into a memory, a panic attack is almost always imminent. At other times he's all right and can be happy. There are- triggers. So we try to avoid them and keep his mind busy."

There was a pause. "So, coming to the Epilepsy, has he already made a potion that is likely to cure it?" Neville's voice sounded disbelieving.

"It sounds absolutely fantastic. It's infamously incurable, you know that," said Luna.

"He has developed the theory and the ingredients. Once brewed, the potion will only need to be tested."

"Are you intending to use my son as a guinea pig?" asked Neville, his voice rising.

"Yes," answered Hannah simply.

Neville blustered with rage. "What? I won't..." but he was cut short by what sounded like small choking sounds.

"_Johnny_!"

Neville strode towards his son, grabbed him and lay him flat on the carpet with his head to the side. Tiny tremors went through the small body.

"Come on, honey, breathe. Breathe with mama. It's all right, it's all right," murmured Luna constantly, in a soothing, gentle voice.

Little Johnny's eyes were wide open and fixed in a stare in front of him, with eyelids twitching every now and then. Completely unresponsive, he was foaming slightly from the corner of his mouth. A minute passed, and the small tremors turned into major spasms. His eyes rolled back into his head, as Johnny succumbed to a full Grand Mal seizure.

Luna continued muttering sweet nothings into the baby's ear, and rubbed his back. She looked up at Neville who said shortly, "2 minutes, 32 seconds."

Hannah could do nothing but watch as the spasms finally subsided to twitches once more. Johnny's eyes fluttered closed and he was unconscious in Luna's arms, completely still. "That was 2 minutes 56 seconds."

Luna quickly checked his vitals and nodded, satisfied, and began cleaning him up.

Neville straightened up from where he was kneeling on the floor.

"Hannah," he began, breathing deeply, "I would rather let Johnny be the same than administer to him some questionable potion brewed by a person I barely trust."

"Draco told me that the potion will either work or will have no effect at all."

"No side effects?"

"No side effects."

"Look, you guys, I completely understand your hesitation and mistrust, but I suggest that you talk this over with Fleur and any other Healers you want. Of course, you will need to talk to Draco to understand the contents of this medicine and how it is expected to work. In any case, it will take several months of verification and validation by several institutions before it is permitted for it to be tested against Wizard's Epilepsy. Only then does Johnny come into the picture. Does that sound good?"

Neville glanced at Luna before nodding slowly. "All right."

"Great! I'll tell Draco- he'll be happy to know. And..." Hannah hesitated.

"When you do meet Draco, can you- could you please not- _antagonize_ him?"

Neville opened his mouth to protest, but Hannah spoke over him. "Please. Just listen to me. I've told you all I could. Please understand that he's a little sensitive right now. I'm not asking you to be friendly to him," she added quickly, seeing that Neville looked mutinous. "Just be to-the-point, and please don't mention Hogwarts or the war, or his parents, or anything like that, okay? Please?"

Luna nodded, but Neville looked like an admonished child. "And what if _he_ behaves like a prat?"

Hannah laughed sadly. "You know, sometimes I almost wish he _would_."

She sighed. "Don't worry. He won't behave like a prat. In any case, I'll mostly be coming with him here on out. So I'll keep an eye on my boyfriend," she said and winked at Luna, who laughed.

Hannah stood up to leave but turned back. "You forgot dinner."

Luna gasped. "If you would like to hang back, I'll prepare it right away, and…"

"Relax, it's all right. I should get going, anyway."

"No, you're right, that was mighty rude," agreed Neville. "Here, take these cookies," he said, and slammed a large box in her hands. "They're mint and chocolate and cinnamon."

"Ooh, delicious. Thank you."

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_**And that was it! Next chapter will have Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny discussing these insane developments. Stay tuned!**_


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